Miami Grandmas Wore These Trends First (And Better)

Now that we've run face-first into New York Fashion Week after tripping over our massive pleather platforms, it's as good a time as any to remember that, truly, there is nothing new under the sun, and that this is especially true when it comes to fashion. Everything is recycled, referenced, and repurposed at some time or another, and there are very few true style innovators.

Except every grandmother I've ever encountered in Miami.

Do let me expand on my thesis here, won't you?

Image by Samantha Marx/Flickr, Art by Alex Alvarez/Fusion

Leopard Print

Leopard print says "I'm classy and elegant and wealthy and powerful enough to wear another creature's whole body if I want to." It can also look edgy, subversive, sexy, raunchy, and rock 'n roll. It can be the focal point of your outfit, or treated as a new neutral. Plus, you can find it in any season -- like on your feet this coming spring, for example. It also says "Dinner in Aventura? Meet you there at 4 pm."

Image via YouTube / Art by Alex Alvarez/Fusion

Purple Hair

Fashionable ladies like Kelly Osbourne and designer Rachel Antonoff make lilac-hued hair look nice, especially when paired with a lovely watercolor uterus. But Mimi, Nana, and Abuelita have been showing off this look for ages.

Image by Quinn Dombrowski/Flickr, Art by Alex Alvarez/Fusion

Pointy-Ass Nails

Long, pointed nails have been seen on fashion-conscious celebrities for some time now (see: Del Rey, Lana and Rihanna, The), but the truth is that your grandmother was rocking this lookdecadesago, and sometimes she still asks Yoyi at the Pretty Beauty Nail Salon whether she can slap on a pair of red acrylics. Pa' New Year's.

Image via RapGenius.com, Art by Alex Alvarez/Fusion

Scarf Print

Busy, rococo-inspired scarf prints are favored by the likes of both Grimes and 2 Chainz, who wore identical Versace pants to the 2013 VMAs, but it's also a favorite of the ladies who fill Miami's streets with #FASHION in their silky scarf-print blouses and palazzo pants. Vintage Versace is the uniform of Miami grandmas who worry about whether you're eating enough.